Sony ULT Field 3 review: this rugged Bluetooth speaker brings the bass

Sony's back again bringing bass-boosted audio in a portable profile with the new ULT Field 3. It takes up after the SRS-XE300, which released back in 2022, and fields Sony's new ULT nomenclature with a custom EQ setting built into its design.

Thanks to a slew of protective measures in place, the ULT Field 3 can withstand practically anything thanks to an IP67 rating. A particular highlight is that it's shockproof, meaning you could drop it and still get crisp audio.

A 24-hour battery life means you rarely need to worry about recharging to get the most out of your ULT Field 3 — even when it's in ULT mode. But, even if you can play it both horizontally and vertically, can it still stand tall against some of the best Bluetooth speakers in its price bracket?

At $199, it certainly fares well for what's on offer, but its bulky design and major focus on bass-boosted audio might create some headwinds in an overcrowded market.

Sony ULT Field 3 speaker review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Extremely portable and durable bass-boosted Bluetooth speaker
• Who is it for? For people who want extensive portability without sacrificing good sound quality at a great price
• How much does it cost? $199 / £179
• What do we like? Relatively cheap for its features, incredible battery life
• What don’t we like? ULT boost is a bit gimmicky, custom EQ settings are limited

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Specs

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Price & availability

The Sony ULT Field 3 launched on April 9 alongside the ULT Field 5 and the ULT Tower 9. It picks up the new "ULT" naming convention Sony started last year and slots in between the older ULT Field 1 and ULT Field 7 models.

What makes the ULT Field 3 stand out is its price at just $199. Given its extreme durability and slew of features, it's a competitive bargain that's just $69 more than the ULT Field 1 at launch. You can also scoop it up today at several retailers, including Sony, Amazon, and Best Buy.

There's some tough competition around this price point (see: Bose SoundLink Flex 2 and Beats Pill) but the Field 3 is a decent value, everything considered.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Design & controls

• Bulky, boxy design
• Included strap
• Works vertically or horizontally

Compared to rival Bluetooth speakers in its price bracket, the ULT Field 3 is rather large and bulky. Although it can serve as a good travel companion, equipped with its own detachable strap, it's a bit cumbersome at 3.11 x 10.08 x 5.24 inches.

Dimensionally, it would easily take up a large portion of your beach bag or backpack — that is if you forego the shoulder strap. (Which, to be fair, is kind of an annoying process to attach and detach.) The ULT Field 3 isn't heavy by any means, but it does take up a large amount of space against smaller designs like the Bose Soundlink Flex, JBL Charge 6, or Beats Pill.

It's not exactly the coolest or most eye-popping of designs either, especially out of Sony, but it houses within it a pair of passive radiators, one woofer and one tweeter. An extra tweeter would be nice to have, but what's here is a decent offering.

When not using Sony's Sound Connect app, you can access most controls from the buttons on the top of the device. These include the Power, Bluetooth, Connect, Play/Pause, volume controls, and the ULT custom EQ button, which only has one mode as opposed to two on the Field 5 and Field 7.

If you're hoping for something a bit more fashionable, you're in luck as the ULT Field 3 does comes in three different colors, including black, forest gray, and off-white. Sony's opted to drop the orange colorway it had on the ULT Field 1, but more color options could be added over time.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Features

• IP67 durability rating
• Custom 7-band EQ
• Connects up to 100 other Sony speakers

To say the ULT Field 3 can take a beating would be an understatement. This thing is built to last, rated at IP67, which covers water damage and dust protection. Sony also claims it's even shockproof and rustproof, giving it more than enough protection against the elements.

I gave some of these concerns a test, dropping the ULT Field 3 in the grass from several different heights to simulate scenarios like it falling from your shoulder in travel or being knocked off the picnic table. Sound quality remains the same and it suffered minimal (if any) damage at all.

Of course, at the forefront of the ULT Field 3 lies its very namesake — the custom ULT EQ bass boost. It only jumps up to one mode, but is primarily the mode of choice for most users, even if I find it rather gimmicky.

I'd personally rather fine tune the audio to my liking and, while you can do this on its 7-band EQ, it pales in comparison to the deep and richer audio on offer via the ULT mode.

Fortunately, you can buy 99 more ULT Field 3 speakers and connect them all if you're so inclined. That's where the "Connect" button on the top of the device comes into play, allowing you to pull together audio across several sources at once.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Connectivity & app

• Custom EQ settings
• Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC
• New-and-improved Sony Sound Connect app

Sony's totally revamped its app, combining both its Fiestable and Music Connect apps into one cohesive experience. It's a brilliant change that should have happened a long time ago, streamlining the experience for those who want to let the app do all the heavy lifting.

Within the Sony Sound Connect app is all of your controls and several neat features to help you get the most out of the ULT Field 3. These include settings like your Custom EQ, Sound Field Optimization, Sound Effect, and Bluetooth connection quality.

The latter lets you adjust prioritizing sound quality versus a stable connection, essentially forcing the Bluetooth codec into either AAC or SBC. I typically left it on sound quality, but if the connection does prove unstable or inefficient, like in a busier park, you have the option to change to a more stable connection which is nice.

Sound Effect lets you choose between three different settings, with either ULT Power Sound, Custom, or off. This is where my biggest gripe comes with the ULT Field 3, in that you do have the ability to tailor the sound to your liking on a 7-band EQ but it just isn't as good as you'll get from the ULT Power Sound.

Add that to the fact that you have to turn off Sound Field to allow Custom EQ to work, and not have the ULT Power turned on, and it's a bit of a frustrating experience. I'm someone that loves to make custom tweaks to the sound and the ULT boost doesn't cover all the music I listen to, which is a major drag.

One notable pro, though, is multipoint connection, which lets you connect two different devices to the speaker for easy switching between them. And, as already mentioned, you also have Sony Party Connect, allowing you to link 100 Sony ULT speakers together for, as Emperor Palpatine would aptly put it, unlimited power.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Sound quality

• Bass-boosted with ULT mode
• Exceptional volume with minimal distortion
• So-so treble and vocals

I put the ULT Field 3 to the test using a variety of different genres to test its sound quality in multiple settings, including in my own home and outside in the nearby park.

As for genres, I'm a fan of jazz and hip-hop primarily, playing a lot of Playboy Carti's "I Am Music" with ULT Power Boost enabled. While it definitely gave the underlying sounds a more active, thriving bass, the vocals tended to fall flat.

"Olympian" is another good test track featuring a slower rhythm to the other tracks on the album and giving Carti's vocals more of a focus. The ULT mode is doing a ton of heavy lifting, and with the mode turned off the song loses all of its underlying oomph.

I tried switching things up to put the ULT Field 3 through its paces using its custom EQ settings and was let down by its performance. While less vocal-heavy tracks did sound quite adequate (especially the trumpet-and-drum-infused "Indian Summer" by Chris Botti), others didn't fare so well.

One such lighter jazz song that lost its luster was Kelly Green's "Let Me In," a piano track that's led primarily by her vocals. I tried tweaking the Custom EQ a bit to get the right sound, but it didn't quite match the power on offer with the ULT boost — and even at full volume the vocals tended to get drowned out.

Custom EQ simply lacks the power and punch offered with the ULT mode. The guitar-laden "Daggers" by culenasm is another prime example, with a lot of the more instrumental parts feeling far less clean when ULT isn't enabled. Custom EQ can really only go so far.

Overall, while the ULT bass boost definitely gives the ULT Field 3 serious firepower, it really isn't an end-all-be-all setting for all genres. At no point did I really feel immersed in my music, owing largely to the fact that the Field 3 is a mono speaker built for rugged portability, not expert sound quality.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Battery life

• Rated up to 24 hours
• USB-C port In/Out for charging other devices

Sony's at the top of its game when it comes to longevity on the ULT Field 3. Where the ULT Field 1 sorely lacked in power consumption, the Field 3 shines ever brighter offering up to 24 hours of charge even with the ULT power boost on.

Sony claims the Field 3 can last about five hours on maximum volume also with ULT power on, but there's little reason to ever play at extreme volumes. The ULT EQ setting already gives it quite the boost in audio performance and loudness, and playing at max volume would just be overkill even if you're around a high sound density area like a construction site or waterfall.

The ULT Field 3 is also kitted with 10 minute fast charging, which gives it up to 120 minutes of audio playback. But even then, you can still charge the device itself or even other devices while you're playing music so you need not worry about power consumption in the slightest.

Sony ULT Field 3 Speaker review: Verdict

As Bluetooth speakers go, the ULT Field 3 is an interesting new entry. It's got incredible coverage against the elements, an included strap for that lets you carry it around (not that I would given its bulkiness), and has incredible bass-boosted performance on a charge that will last a whole day.

But when faced with a market that's stacked with far smaller, less bulkier designs (that are often even cheaper), the ULT Field 3 loses a lot of its hype. Bose and Apple have serious contenders at the same price, main among them the SoundLink Flex that's incredibly thin and $50 cheaper.

If you're willing to live with its ULT bass-boosting functionality, which delivers punchy audio, and can look past its bulky design, the ULT Field 3 is a great choice for outdoor enthusiasts who need devices with extra protection from the elements but there are better options on the market that can give your broader personalized sound without many of the same drawbacks.